"Regarding your 2 questions: For offering prasadam simply prayers to the Spiritual Master is sufficient. The process is that everything is offered to the Spiritual Master, and the Spiritual Master is supposed to offer the same foodstuff to the Lord. When a thing is offered to the Spiritual Master, he immediately offers to the Lord. That is the system, and as we come by parampara system, it is our duty to go through the right channel—namely, first the Spiritual Master, then Lord Caitanya, and then Krishna. So when we chant prayers, we do this, Bande ham Sri Guru . . . and gradually to the Goswamis, then to Lord Caitanya, and then to Radha Krishna. That is the praying system. But offering the prasadam to present everything before the Spiritual Master whose picture is also in the altar, means that the Spiritual Master will take care of offering the foodstuff to the Lord. Therefore simply by chanting the prayer to the Spiritual Master, everything will be complete."
Srila Prabhupada's Letter to: Harer Nama -- Allston, Mass 28 May, 1968
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Is our Spiritual Master Sri Prabhupada?
I'm sorry, I have so many questions and hope I am not a burden. I feel like I have a lifetimes worth of learning trying to be crammed into a 71 year old Westerner body
Yes, the Vaisnava who gives the initiation, the diksha guru he is the spiritual master ie HDG Srila Prabhupada in our case. Jaya!
He has an eternal identity and pastimes in the spiritual sky, and we specifically will go to be engaged in devotional service near by.
offering bhoga; Ananta Sesa dasa, Bh.S., PH.D. on October 1, 2014 at 8:40
namah om vishnu padaya, krsna presthaya bhutale
srimate bhaktivedanta swami, iti namine
namaste sarasvati deve, gaura vani pracarine,
nirvisesa sunnyavada, pascatya-desa tarine
namo maha vadanyaya
krishna prema pradayate
krishnaya-krishna-chaitanya
namna-gaure-tvishe namaha
namo brahmanya devaya
go brahmanya hitayacha
jagat hitaya krishnaya
govindaya namo namaha
Srila Prabhupada....“Regarding your question about offering Prasadam, whatever is offered to the Deity actually it goes through the Spiritual Master. The Spiritual Master offers to Lord Caitanya, and Lord Caitanya offers it to Krishna. Then Radha Krishna eats, or Jagannatha eats, then Caitanya Mahaprabhu eats, then the Spiritual Master eats, and it becomes Mahaprasadam. So when you offer something, you think like that and chant the Gayatri mantra, and then everything is complete. At last, ring the bell, take out the plate and wipe the place where the plate was kept.”
16 June, 1969 New Vrindaban Srlla Prabhupada'sLetter to Arundhati:
Srila Prabhupada....“Regarding your question about offering Prasadam, whatever is offered to the Deity actually it goes through the Spiritual Master. The Spiritual Master offers to Lord Caitanya, and Lord Caitanya offers it to Krishna. Then Radha Krishna eats, or Jagannatha eats, then Caitanya Mahaprabhu eats, then the Spiritual Master eats, and it becomes Mahaprasadam. So when you offer something, you think like that and chant the Gayatri mantra, and then everything is complete. At last, ring the bell, take out the plate and wipe the place where the plate was kept.”
16 June, 1969 New Vrindaban Srlla Prabhupada'sLetter to Arundhati:
Of course, the Gayatri should only be spoken by a brahmana. Someone new to Krsna Consciousness would not have access to this mantra, but he can still offer food with devotion to the Lord and through His Divine Mercy, receive the remnants.
a simple step-by-step handbook for these things would be helpful.
I will put that on my ever growing "to do" list. :)
lol !!!! i know how you feel! ~(>,' )
namo maha vadanyaya
krishna prema pradayate
krishnaya-krishna-chaitanya
namna-gaure-tvishe namaha
namo brahmanya devaya
go brahmanya hitayacha
jagat hitaya krishnaya
govindaya namo namaha